The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win

As I’ve always worked at small companies, I’ve been fascinated by the politics and problems experienced by those working for larger organizations. Surviving and thriving in such an environment requires an entirely different skill set.

This book is about doing IT work in a challenging, fast-paced environment with shrinking budgets, inadequate equipment, and (sometimes) corrupt databases.

As I’ve always worked at small companies, I’ve been fascinated by the politics and problems experienced by those working for larger organizations. Surviving and thriving in such an environment requires an entirely different skill set.

This book is about doing IT work in a challenging, fast-paced environment with shrinking budgets, inadequate equipment, and (sometimes) corrupt databases.

About the authors

Gene Kim is a multiple award winning CTO, researcher and author. He was founder and CTO of Tripwire for 13 years.

Kevin Behr is the founder of the Information Technology Process Institute and the Chief Strategist for the CIO and Board Advisory Practice at Assemblage Pointe.

George is a Principal Consultant with Pepperweed and an experienced practitioner in business and IT operations.

Inside the book

Reading this book is like watching a complex chess game unfold in front of your eyes. The authors perfected a niche genre, the IT business drama. This book not only educates on several levels, but entertains as well. Who knew this was possible with such a topic?

I can see a TV series coming out of this book. If we can watch the life of a President in The West Wing, why not the lives of IT people juggling office politics, thinning budgets, insensitive bosses, old hardware and jealousy? I bet there’s a room full of writers that could spice it up with some drama to make it palatable to a mainstream audience.

The authors provide just enough personal information about the characters for us to form a picture about them. However, the most defining characteristics are actually work-related: how they deal with issues, what their particular level of knowledge is, how they interact with each other. It’s easy to become a part of their world.

To put it simply, The Phoenix Project will show you, based on real-world examples, how business processes rely upon IT to achieve their goals.

It’s the perfect gift for a non-IT manager that doesn’t even realize how much of the work the IT department does and what the consequences of a low budget or lack of manpower can be.

I can honestly say that The Phoenix Project is a must read for anyone working in IT, in any capacity – it’s that good!